It was meant to be
by AdeebaLovesHHH
Summary: Their hearts were broken, their lives were shattered but still someone, up in the clouds had different plans for them. One-shot! Paul Levesque/Stephanie McMahon


**Screw my brain for bugging me with ideas when I already have unfinished fics. But then it's something instead of nothing, right?Well, I hope ya'll like it. ENJOY & let me know what you think!**

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Turning off the ignition, Stephanie brought the car to an abrupt halt. Her eyes slowly travelling up to the small structure that stood in front of her. Her summer house. Wincing in pain as she did that. Her headache was surely resurfacing and the long drive just added up to that. Carefully resting her head against the headrest, she closed her eyes to get a grip over her involuntarily headache due to lack of sleep. Just about two months back, their love making, long conversations and watching movies all night long were the reasons of her sleepless nights. But now, remembering the memories they made together didn't let her sleep. He was still infecting her brain with his thoughts.

She never had the slightest idea that she will fell for him, for Paul Michael Levesque. But she did, and she hadn't gotten up since. A long sigh escaped her lips when his name crossed her mind. Stephanie always believed in the notion that if you're going to truly love someone, then love them with everything you have. She did that. She loved him with every fibre of her being, every beat of her heart and every drop of blood running through her veins. But love is not always enough. They loved each other as deeply as two people can, but that didn't make their relationship infallible.

Taking a deep breathe she fluttered her eyes open, finally coming to the conclusion of going in her house, reliving the past, on the same day which was supposed to be their first anniversary of dating officially. Life, as they said, was a challenge. And for Steph it surely was living up to that saying.

Huffing soundly, Stephanie stepped outside as the wind blew lightly, caressing her skin. Bringing her body into motion, she let the gentle breeze play with her shiny brown hair that tumbled in mahogany waves halfway down her back. With her gaze lingering on the porch, she momentarily froze, baffled by the memory of her ensconced in Paul's lap flooding back to her mind.

_"Am I, by any chance, your official pillow?," Paul uttered inquisitively as his fingers played with her silky hairs. She nodded imperceptibly with her eyes closed and a peaceful smile tugging the corners of her mouth._

_"I'm happy then, cause I love the feeling of your cheeks pressed against my lap," he confessed lovingly. Stephanie turned her face to glance up at him, with a huge grin spread across her perfect face._

_"And I love the feeling of being near you," she whispered, overwhelmed by the warm look in Paul's eyes. With his eyes smiling into hers, Stephanie felt utterly content. Alive. At peace. So did he – she knew it with every beat of her heart. And in that prolonged moment of silent companionship, he linked his hands loosely behind her back, as she now had her back pressed against his thighs. He leaned forward as his mouth descended, capturing hers in a slow kiss. With an inner moan of pleasure, Stephanie slid her hands up his chest, curving them around his nape. She gave herself over to the kiss, like she always did. Letting him part her lips was so natural, second to only breathing._

Snapping herself out of her reverie, Stephanie let her eyelids rest on her rosy cheeks to restrain the tears that were threatening to fall. Memories that she planned to cherish all her life now only brought tears to her eyes. After a brief moment, she started walking again and clicked the door open.

Being here was the only thing that would make her feel alive somehow. It had been about two long months since she last visited this place. And the exact same amount of time since she last saw Paul. Although it felt like an eternity. But now that she was back in town, the only place where she could be on this day was this house. It was her safe haven a few months back and now she knew that it would only bring back memories that would cause her pain. But she was already pretty accustomed to that feeling. Pain was the only thing she was capable of feeling now. Pain was her only companion from the day her dad talked her into breaking it off for the sheer reason of protecting Paul. That was the sole reason why she made the biggest decision of her life. It was to protect Paul from all the negative accusations from his peers and colleagues, who began to put the credit of his success on one mere act - 'He banged the boss's daughter.' Vince gave Paul and Steph his blessings at first because he wasn't far-sighted, that was what he said in front of Steph. But truth be told, Vince actually did not believe that Paul and Stephanie's relationship would last six months. But it lasted, prospered and their feelings for each other increased at an unimaginable rate. And that was when 'people' and their 'accusations' came into existence. Vince, therefore, wanted them to break it off before their relationship would've ruined Paul's career in any way possible. The reason he gave to Paul was that he had some parental issues, although there was no truth in that. Paul was perfect for his daughter in all senses of the word. But he knew Paul well and therefore he knew that even bringing his career into the mix wouldn't make him fall out of love with Steph. So he pulled the trump card and somehow managed to get them to call it off. Stephanie was well aware of the real reason but she couldn't risk Paul's career for her love, their love was above that selfishness. It was so pure that she called it off for Paul's sake and Paul accepted her father's decision. But the hard part isn't making the decision. It's living with it. And that was where they were failing miserably.

Stepping inside, she looked around. The house was dark except for the dimly lit porch. She switched on the light, closing the door behind her. Her gaze irresistibly drawn to the blanket lying on the couch. Hastily, she reached for it and clung it to her chest as if it was her most valuable possession. A solitary tear trickled down her cheek as her finger lightly grazed over the material. Before coming here, she thought she had run out of tears. But still her eyes were shedding tears, for him. Subconsciously, she brought the blanket closer to her face, wondering that does it still have his scent, although she was too afraid to find out because she did not want to experience new wave of memories. But she had no control over her actions.

Wrapping the blanket around her trembling body, she curled up on the couch, drowning in her own tears. With her eyes still surveying her previously abandoned house, she again travelled down the memory lane. On this day, Paul confessed his feelings to her, in this very place. They had been good friends and he was in Connecticut for the live event. She volunteered to show him around the place and then she brought him here, to show him the house she usually talked about.

_"I rarely come here, because of my travelling schedule but I adore this place. It's like my second home," Stephanie gushed while giving Paul a tour of the house. She was standing with her back to him and on getting no response from Paul, she turned around._

_Gazing at him and making her way to him, she realised that he was fumbling with his car keys, shuffling his feet, and staring blankly in another direction. "Is everything okay, Paul?" She inquired looking concerned._

_"Aa...umm..aa," Paul could only muster that out of his mouth._

_"Aa..umm..aa. I got it so far, so what else?" She mocked him, earning a nervous chuckle from the blonde. Not backing down from knowing what was bothering him, Stephanie pressed further,"Spill Paul. What's wrong? I won't bite you, I promise."_

_Exhaling soundly, he started talking with a straight face. "Okay Steph, it's like you love this house so much. So I thought of doing this here. Like you know I wanted to do this for a few days. No, for a few months. No..yes a few months.."_

_"Are you planning to break our friendship here?" Steph interrogated with a pout adorning her face. She knew it wasn't about this, but she had to rack it out of him, and since he was so lost in babbling away, cutting him off was the better way._

_With a husky, startled laugh, he hurriedly brushed off that mindless accusation failing to filter what left his mouth. "Here I am planning to take this relationship to another level and you..," he trailed off, gasping in horror as the words escaped his mouth. Damn. Though he wanted to say that but not like that. There are some ways and ethics to do stuff like proposing. Screw him for being in this precarious position for the first time. Hell, he didn't even had to propose Joanie, his only girlfriend, because she herself presumed that she was his girlfriend. Well now it was about Stephanie, his friend and the boss's daughter for saying out loud. Paul was damned. He knew he was. On seeing Stephanie closing the gap between them, walking even closer, he tried to avoid the eye contact, purposely looking in all directions except for her. But he knew that he had to say it, he just had to. After daydreaming about her for so many days he was left with no other option than to propose to her. 'Man up, Paul,' he thought to himself. Closing his eyes for a few seconds, he gathered the courage and looked into her eyes while reaching out for her hands. He had rehearsed dozens of speeches but screw his brain for forgetting all of them. Bracing himself for the response that awaited him, he finally said whatever his brain could come up with._

_"Stephanie, no matter how confusing relationships are, how irritating they can be. But our story will be different. We'll make it different. Here..," he paused while bringing her hand to his heart. "It beats for you, and I don't even know for how long. I know you are just too good for me," he nervously paused seeing her face still emotionless. "I love, I mean I like you but maybe..you don't like me," he abruptly lied a bit, but was cut off once again. Though this time her lips did the honors instead of her tongue. He loved her, and she loved him back. Dammit! it was written all over their face. They hardly realized how deep their feelings ran for each other._

_The moment Stephanie yearned for and simultaneously dreaded had finally arrived. She had fallen for him since they started working together. To her content, he felt the same way and he did pour his heart out to her. Now she was just returning the favor._

_"Even if you only like me, I love you," Steph mumbled against his lips after ending the kiss. He beamed at her response and an ultra huge smile formed across his face. When he smiled, she smiled, it was the most contagious thing about him. However, he didn't know what to say next therefore kept silent but his smile spoke louder than words. And then his other actions too. After registering those words in his head, Paul took her chin between his thumb and forefinger. Tipping her head back, he brushed his lips slowly back and forth across hers. "I love you too," he happily proclaimed._

A fresh batch of tears left her eyes as the realisation hit home. Nothing was same anymore. Neither their love, nor those there was no use of sitting here in isolation and dreading over the past but she had nothing better to do. Just after Vince talked to Paul about breaking it up, she talked to Paul once, over the phone but was unable to speak up. The only words she heard him saying were,_"If it's meant to be, it will be."_ "It wasn't, it wasn't meant to be," Stephanie cried out loud to herself. To feel the pain of the break up all over again wasn't the reason she came here. She came here because here she felt like being close to him. Paul somehow implanted himself in this house as well as in her mind. There was a tight clutching feeling inside of her chest. Memories were a dagger to heart. She always snuggled into his side when they watched movies laying on this couch. That kitchen counter was where he placed her after picking her up and kissed her passionately. The dining table was where they had their first candle light dinner. They talked about how their own house would look like while walking in the back garden. They made love in the bedroom upstairs. She remembered how they talked about their future. She remembered it all. But it was all very ironic now, considering all they had now was past.

A sharp sound of the car door being slammed shut, pulled Stephanie out of her thoughts. She slightly jumped at the sudden sound but then realised that maybe someone was here looking for her, maybe it was Shane, Vince or even Linda. Making an attempt to open the door, she prepared herself for the intruder's possible reaction. She hurriedly wiped the tears off her face and peeped outside from the window pane. The dimly lit porch made it difficult to recognise the person who just stopped outside. Silently clicking the door open and slipping outside, she felt perilously close to tears. Utterly thrown by the sight of him standing in front of her. The dark silhouette standing before her did not belong to Shane nor Vince. It belonged to someone else. Paul.

With his gaze riveted heaven wards, and his hands shoved deep into his trouser pockets, he was standing with his back to the house. Her mind was paralysed with apprehension. This wasn't happening, she shook her head to gather her wits. This was some sort of daydreaming, she reminded herself. 'Yep, that was it,' she quietly acknowledged. Paul couldn't possibly end up at the same place on the same day when she decided to be here. Unbeknownst to her, this was the first place that came to Paul's mind when he remembered what day it was. He wanted to relive the past, just like Stephanie did. But both of them were unaware of the coincidence that God planned for them. Fate dealt them with a sweet card but they were too naive to understand. Absorbed in his thoughts, Paul failed to register her presence. Stephanie walked quietly, reducing the distance between them with every step she took. It was him, her mind screamed to her. He was really standing in front of her. When his body remained still, she tried to call him from behind, afraid that her voice would betray her. What would she say to him when she only wanted to fling herself into his arms. Keeping herself from doing what she wanted to do most, she made him realise that he wasn't standing alone there.

"Paul?," Stephanie said, as her voice came out as a hoarse whisper. Paul stiffened the instant she spoke and didn't even turn his head to look at her. He was cent percent sure that he was hallucinating, therefore there was no use of turning around. The voice was more clear now as she inquired, "what are you doing out here?" This wasn't real, it wasn't what he imagined to find here. She left town the day they broke up, leaving the storyline hanging in mid air and Vince with a tonne of responsibility to find a way to dissolve the McMahon-Helmsley Era.

However, his heart told him that maybe just maybe this was true, maybe she was here standing just a mere feet away from him. He was torn in between reality and confusion but answered to her inquisition. "Praying. I've been praying for you to come back. Now please don't do this to me, Steph. I know you are not here. I'm probably talking to my own self," his voice cracked midway of his sentence. He was already broken enough, imagining her would just add to his misery.

However, he froze, his heart stopped for a brief moment when he felt a hand pressed against his broad shoulders. Tears stung Stephanie's eyes when she remembered the way Paul had dismissed the idea of praying as the last resort to fools - dreamers who won't face the fact that they cannot have something. And now he was praying, to have her. This was all too unbelievable, just like having him here, feeling his warn skin beneath her palm. Paul slowly and gradually turned around, as her hand gripped his shoulder, but with his eyes still closed. He was afraid to open them for fear that she would vanish. But she prompted him to do so after placing her hand on his tear stained cheeks. She was there, actually standing a few inches away. His eye lids were in motion as they fluttered open, his eyes mirroring hers, both welled up. Without giving it a second thought, he yanked her in his arms, burying his lips into hers, crushing her hard against his length. He was still afraid that she'd leave him if he would let her go. Stephanie felt the familiar vibration run through her at his touch, it never ceased to amaze her, the bond she shared with him.

When he finally ended the kiss, he took a look at her, guiding a loose strand of hair behind her ear. He always knew she was beautiful. But he was always amazed every time he took the time to really look at her. It was almost palpable, the look on their faces speaking louder than their words ever could. The love could be felt, the fear of losing each other and the memories. His prayers were answered and she was here. He was alive, again. And he couldn't let her go, not this time.

"Steph, I don't care about the world. I don't care about your Dad, his business or anybody else walking on God's green earth. All I care for, is you. Because when I am with you, nothing else seems to matter. Please Steph, don't let your parents our anyone else decide our future. I...I can't live without you, Stephanie. I just can't," he affirmed with firm conviction. It was like Stephanie needed to hear this, though it wouldn't have mattered if he didn't mention caring about the world. It took her 2 months to realise that people were born to hurl accusations on others, however at the back of her mind she feared that Paul moved on from her therefore she backed away from contacting him. But he didn't, he clearly was waiting on her still holding his heart out to be taken away. Stephanie reached for his hand squeezing his fingers in a gesture of profound affection and gratitude.

"I also can't live without you. I love you, Paul. And nothing would change it," she declared proudly still holding his gaze.

"I love you too, Steph. Always did, always will," Paul replied with tenderness in his eyes and love in his voice when he said her name. A smile of relief dawned across his face, it was after such a long time that his smile reached his eyes. hell, it was after such a long time he actually found himself smiling, but he wasn't the only one. The girl he loved with all his heart, who was now burled in his chest, also found back her smile.

"Don't ever stop saying that," she teased, lifting her head.

Love always has complications, but if you truly love each other, then these complications would be like minor obstacles rather than barriers. Steph and Paul weren't any different except for the fact that their story was really a fairy tale story that wrote itself.


End file.
